


breathless

by daaniiies



Category: SuperM (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Memory Loss, Merpeople, but you didn't hear it from me, did i make dr. baekhyun work? pls say yes, nini is a nurse, whispers mark has a crush, xuxi is yukhei's only name, xuxi knows nothing about humans in general
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:53:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28037226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daaniiies/pseuds/daaniiies
Summary: Jongin helps a drowning victim and it turns his life upside down(or: nurse thinks he's only helping someone who drowned but gets stuck with a merman turned human)
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Comments: 23
Kudos: 44





	breathless

**Author's Note:**

> hi 🥰  
> first of all i love kaicas so much and i'm so happy writing about them, lemme just put it out there  
> i've had this plot for a while... and by that i mean i thought of it back in early 2017 when snuper's sangho had bright blue hair. obviously it was for a snuper fic but i ended up not writing it back then, snuper migrated to japan and ??? idk i still like them but don't feel tempted to write about them anymore. BUT i really like the plot so i kept it and after considering a bunch of other options i realized how well kaicas fit in and this fic was born 🥰
> 
> babbling aside 😔  
> ✧ english is not my first language so i'm sorry about any mistakes  
> ✧ this fic has 3 parts. i'm writing the 2nd one already but i'm a s l o w writer so no idea when i'll update 👉👈  
> ✧ i know Nothing about hospitals. there was research and a lot of questions to people who work/have stayed at hospitals but this fic might have some inaccuracies still.  
> ✧ all my knowledge about police procedure comes from watching crime series so don't take it as fact either 😭  
> ✧ i have no idea how explicit this is gonna get but... rating might change. 
> 
> that's it, i think... thank you for reading, i hope you like it!! 🥺
> 
> {for jo, who's been this fic's top supporter since it started and whose bday is coming up... take it as an early bday gift 💖}

🌊

It was the very first day of Jongin’s week off. He hadn’t gotten a whole week off from work in over a year so the last place he wanted to go to on that day was the hospital. The universe didn’t seem to be so kind to him.

He had woken up early out of habit, made himself breakfast and then decided to go for a morning jog. As the streets were already fairly crowded, as usual, Jongin opted for staying out of them and going to the nearby beach instead. It was usually completely empty so early in the morning, considering it was almost winter time, and he did enjoy the calm of it, the way he could almost ignore the traffic sounds thanks to the sound of the waves hitting shore. And that was when he saw it.

Lying on the sand, right where the waves hit, there was a body. Not moving and completely naked, the sight of it made Jongin open his eyes in panic and run closer. He really hoped he didn’t just run into some kind of crime scene but he couldn’t just do nothing about it.

His shoes got wet as soon as he reached the body on the ground but he didn’t care about it, just moving closer and squatting down next to the body. Despite of the dark long hair splayed against the sand, it was a rather big male, probably an adult but still young. Without moving him, Jongin placed two fingers on his neck, right below the jawline, to check for any sign that he was still alive. Feeling a faint pulse made him stir into action.

He turned the man to lay on his back, pushed his hair out of his face and checked his breathing, cursing upon realizing there was none and immediately tilting the man’s head backwards, checking if there was any reaction. The man was still not breathing, so Jongin tried to keep calm and took the next step, breathing in deep and pinching the man’s nose before blowing air into his mouth. He counted the seconds, giving the man a couple of rescue breaths and starting CPR when there was still no reaction.

It was after about half a minute of CPR that the man finally reacted, coughing water out of his lungs and restarting to breathe. Jongin sighed in relief, turning the man to his side to help him recover and making sure he was able to breathe by himself. Then he took his own jacket off, putting it on top of the man’s body even though it wouldn’t help much considering the man was completely naked. Jongin pulled his phone out of the jacket to call for an ambulance.

🌊

\- **Don’t tell me you missed us so much you came to visit** – Taemin joked as soon as Jongin entered the room, looking up from the man on the stretcher next to him.

\- **Are you out of your mind?!** – Jongin jokingly protested, giving his friend a displeased look. – **How is he?** – he glanced at the patient the doctor was still focused on.

After arriving at the hospital, Jongin had left the man he found in the care of his colleagues for a bit. His shoes and socks were completely wet and cold and he didn’t want to get sick so he walked away for a moment to go to his locker and take them off, putting on his work shoes instead. Then, being a nurse in that hospital, it wasn’t hard for him to find his way to the emergency room where the man he rescued was taken to.

The stranger was still slightly covered in sand, long hair a clammy mess, but they had given him a blanket to help with his temperature and nudity. He looked _stable_ but very confused, sitting on the stretcher and furrowing his eyebrows at Baekhyun while the later pressed the end of the stethoscope to his naked chest.

\- **You know him?** – Taemin asked, voice barely above a whisper and eyes widening in surprise as Jongin walked closer.

\- **I found him at the beach** – he kept his voice low too, to not disturb Baekhyun’s work. – **He was just lying by the water, barely had a pulse.**

\- **Physically he seems to be fine** – Baekhyun was the one speaking then, putting the stethoscope down and looking up at Jongin. – **We’ll run some tests to be sure but I’m guessing you found him at the right moment. He doesn’t speak, though.** – he said, continuing as Jongin gave him a puzzled look. – **He seems to understand us a bit cause he follows simple commands but he hasn’t said a word.**

\- **Right, we tried asking for his name and age but** – Taemin added, just gesturing vaguely towards the patient as a way to finish his sentence. – **Maybe he’ll talk to you since you saved his life** – he lightly suggested then, as if thinking out loud.

\- **It’s worth a try.** – the doctor spoke up again. – **I’ll see if I can get him to do a CT scan _today_. **– added, making a face at the chaos that was to get a CT scan scheduled in that hospital. He walked to exit the room. – **Taemin, see if you can get some blood samples and take them to the lab, I’ll have them run some tests too.**

\- **Yes, sir.** – the nurse promptly replied, moving into action.

Jongin turned his attention to the rescued man, finding him already looking back up at him. Maybe not a _man_ but more like a _boy_ , Jongin felt at that moment. He had big innocent eyes, staring back at Jongin with confusion below thick furrowed eyebrows. Maybe it was because he looked so lost or maybe it was Jongin’s nursing call speaking but he kind of felt the urge to protect that stranger.

\- **Can I get your arm?** – Taemin’s voice got their attention as he stopped near the stretcher again, ready to collect the boy’s blood. – **And I need you to lie back.**

The boy clearly understood the request, for he immediately lied back and raised his left arm towards Taemin, but Jongin could tell that he had no idea about what he was doing because the position was totally wrong. Taemin corrected it, turning the boy’s palm up and resting his arm on the stretcher, analyzing his antecubital fossa. When he tied the tourniquet around his bicep, though, the boy looked down at it and frowned, clearly not understanding or liking where Taemin was going with all that. Jongin didn’t wait for him to see the needle, just exchanging a glance with his friend.

\- **Hey** – called him, getting his attention back right away. – **How do you feel?** – he asked. When the boy tried to look back at his own arm, as Taemin cleaned it with rubbing alcohol, Jongin softly held his chin to make him look at him instead. – **Are you hurt?** – continued, to keep him distracted.

The boy shook his head no; big eyes focused on Jongin’s.

\- **Can you tell me your name?** – Jongin continued, not allowing the boy’s focus to go away from him and giving Taemin time to properly collect the blood samples. – **I am Jongin.** – pointed to himself upon receiving a confused look from the boy. – **Who are you?** – and pointed at the boy then.

He blinked, still confused, but finally opened his mouth. – **Shushi.** – mumbled, voice deep and unstable.

\- **Sushi?** – Jongin asked, he too furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

\- **Xuxi**. – he boy spoke up, raising his voice a bit.

\- **Xuxi**. – repeated Jongin, getting a nod in reply. – **Can you tell me your age too?** – he continued, watching as the boy’s expression turned _more_ confused. – **I am twenty-six years old. What about you?** – Jongin followed the previous tactic, since the example seemed to help with his name.

That time it didn’t. Xuxi just stared at him in obvious confusion.

\- **Alright. Do you remember what happened to you?** – asked instead, noticing Taemin finishing his task. He held the cotton ball against Xuxi’s skin as Taemin walked away.

Xuxi followed the movement with is eyes before looking back up at Jongin and shaking his head no. Jongin sighed, just waiting for Taemin to put a band-aid on the boy’s arm. Then he repressed a laugh, when his friend picked one of the cartoon decorated band-aids they usually put on children, only to have the hardest time stopping himself from laughing when Xuxi frowned at the band-aid too and pulled his arm closer to his own chest, giving Taemin an offended stare. When Xuxi bent closer to Jongin and looked back at him with puppy-like eyes, though, Jongin’s soft heart hurt a bit.

\- **Help me get him cleaned and dressed.** – Taemin asked after getting the blood samples ready to be taken to the laboratory, walking to probably get a cleaning towel.

\- **I’m on leave?!** – Jongin lightly protested, indignant, getting the exact same feeling back.

\- **He’s covered in sand, help me out!** – argued, eyebrows shooting up. – **At least try to get it out of his hair, I think he might cry if we have to shave it.** – Taemin returned to his usual caring tone, though with a hint of teasing.

Jongin looked at Xuxi again. His dark hair was long enough for the ends of it to rest on his shoulders and, not only was it totally tangled, it had some sand and even algae stuck to it. If they didn’t clean it, chances were that their colleagues at the radiology department would simply shave it off while preparing him for the CT scan. He sighed, stepping away to go find a comb.

Though at first he seemed reticent about allowing Taemin to touch him, Xuxi ended up letting him clean the sand from his body while Jongin untangled and cleaned his long hair as much as possible. Then both nurses got him dressed in a hospital gown, to which Xuxi frowned too, and that was about when Baekhyun returned to the room, celebrating the fact that he could manage to get a CT scan scheduled for just a few hours later.

When both the doctor and the other nurse left to tend to other patients, Jongin ended up staying with Xuxi. Not only the boy was still very confused and Jongin’s presence seemed to make him a little bit more comfortable, Jongin was also intrigued by whatever had happened to him. So he stayed, calmly trying to make him talk again.

🌊

Sadly, Xuxi didn’t really give any further information about himself. He confirmed his name was Xuxi but didn’t remember any family name, couldn’t tell where his house was and seemed very confused by the idea of age as a whole. Actually, he didn’t really have any sense of time to begin with, for he couldn’t tell the year he was born or even what year they were on. But he had drowned and wasn’t breathing when Jongin found him, so maybe that was a consequence of having a shortage of oxygen in his brain during some time. Jongin couldn’t recall any patient losing their memory after that kind of event but it was known that it caused trauma to the brain.

He felt like he needed to do something. So, when his colleagues took Xuxi away to do the CT scan, Jongin decided to return to the beach.

He went to get his stuff and caught a bus back home first, taking off his humid clothing and changing into clean and dry clothes and shoes before going back to the beach he found Xuxi at. Xuxi couldn’t have just popped out of nowhere with absolutely no personal items so there had to be something there, anything to ID him or help him remember more information.

Jongin searched for over half an hour. It was an empty beach, there was _only_ sand and water around so any object would easily stand out. If there were one. Yet there was nothing. Not a single object, not a single thing. He couldn’t find any objects or even clothes that could be Xuxi’s, there was really just sand and water around. Which didn’t make sense at all.

 _How_ did Xuxi end up there, all naked and with absolutely no ID on?

The only reasonable explanation was that someone did that to him. Someone tried to kill him and took all his belongings. Maybe they hit him in the head too and that was why he couldn’t remember anything other than his own name.

Thankfully, it was normal procedure to call the police when a patient showed up with no ID so, by the time Jongin returned to the hospital, there was already an officer talking with Xuxi. Or trying to, judging by how Taemin sighed in relief as soon as he saw Jongin walk into the infirmary where they had moved Xuxi to.

\- **Thank god you’re back, we’ve been trying to get him to talk but seems like he only trusts you.** – explained right away, looking up from the other patient he was tending to.

When Jongin looked at Xuxi again, the last thing he expected was to be presented with the saddest betrayed look he had ever seen in any human being ever yet that was exactly what he got. It made Jongin feel like _he_ had committed a crime.

\- **Suppose you’re the one who found him.** – the police officer spoke, looking up at Jongin.

Jongin nodded. – **Yes, that’s correct.**

\- **How was that?**

\- **I was running on the beach earlier and saw him by the water, completely naked.** – he started explaining, watching as the police officer nodded along with an intrigued expression. – **At first I thought he might be dead but he had a pulse so I gave him some rescue breaths and CPR and was able to wake him up. Then I called the ambulance and brought him here.**

The officer took some notes on his tablet. – **Had you ever seen him before?**

\- **No, not at all.**

\- **And do you usually go run on the beach at that hour?** – he continued.

\- **No, I’m usually working here. I took some days off and live near the beach so I happened to go run there.** – Jongin calmly replied, watching the officer glance at Xuxi.

\- **Guess he got really lucky** – he wrote some more. – **Did he have anything on him?**

\- **Nothing, sir. Actually, I just came back from where I found him at the beach and I couldn’t find a thing there either. No ID, no clothes, no personal objects at all.** – Jongin added, worry taking over his voice as the officer furrowed his eyebrows at the idea.

\- **Sounds like someone didn’t want anyone to know who he is even if he was found.**

\- **You mean someone maybe tried to hurt him?** – he voiced it, getting even more worried because a police officer was following his same line of thought.

The officer nodded. – **He spoke to you, right? What did he say?**

\- **Only that his name is Xuxi, he doesn’t seem to remember anything else.** – Jongin looked back at Xuxi, noticing him staring back at them and paying attention to the conversation but not even trying to take part in it. – **My colleagues are already running some tests to check for internal injuries, it should help understand what happened to him.** – added then, looking back at the officer.

\- **Right, we’ll wait for it. I’ll take his photo and fingerprints, if he’s in the system we should be able to ID him.** – the officer replied, moving into action then and turning on the camera on the tablet. He took a couple of photos of Xuxi, while the later furrowed his eyebrows at the action, and then grabbed one other object from his bag resting on the floor. A fingerprint collector, Jongin realized right away, watching as the officer connected the small machine to the tablet and walked closer to Xuxi. – **Your hand, please.** – though it was practically an order, he kept his voice calm.

Xuxi reluctantly raised his right hand, eyebrows still furrowed, and the police officer carefully collected his fingerprints one by one, going through every finger and doing the same for the left hand too. When he finished, he looked at Jongin again, informing him he would return when he had any news. Jongin thanked and bowed to him before watching him leave.

\- **You can talk to people, you know?** – started then, turning back to Xuxi and walking closer, smiling down at him and standing right beside his bed. When Xuxi just furrowed his eyebrows again, Jongin raised two fingers to smooth his front. – **You’re gonna get wrinkles from frowning so much.** – argued, feeling the boy relax a bit. – **Why didn’t you talk to mister officer?**

\- **No want to.** – Xuxi replied, voice low and deep decorated with a small pout that made Jongin fight back a laugh.

\- **You don’t want to? You talk to me, though.** – he argued, entertained nevertheless.

\- **Jongin... good.** – Xuxi argued back, struggling a bit with the words but looking as serious as he seemed to get.

Jongin’s smile pulled at the corners of his lips. – **I’m good? That’s why you talk to me?** – asked, continuing when Xuxi nodded. – **But how would you know that?** – he challenged, in part to tease the boy.

\- **Feel it** – he didn’t seem to understand the teasing, keeping his seriousness and raising one hand to point at his own chest. – **In heart.** – and both his words and the look in his eyes seemed so sincere, Jongin didn’t have an answer for it.

\- **Taemin is good too.** – he chose to deviate it from himself, pointing at Taemin who was tending to the other patients in the room. – **Why don’t you talk to him?**

When Xuxi followed Jongin’s gesture towards the other nurse, though, an offended expression took over his features. Jongin had to try really hard to hold his laughter then, as Xuxi looked back at him with deeply furrowed eyebrows.

\- **Put things on Xuxi.** – he answered then, raising his arm and pointing at the band-aid that was still there. And that was when Jongin couldn’t help it anymore, bursting out laughing yet trying to keep it as quiet as possible to avoid disturbing any other patient.

\- **You’re right.** – he practically giggled it, looking back at Xuxi and finding him with a smile among his now confused expression. He looked at Taemin again. – **He can see right through you!**

\- **What?!**

🌊

Good news came a couple hours later.

Right after visiting hours ended, Baekhyun walked into the infirmary with the results for both Xuxi’s blood tests and CT scan.

\- **Looks like you’re good!** – he congratulated, to which Xuxi just nodded in agreement.

\- **What do you mean?** – Jongin asked then, reticent.

\- **I mean he’s great.** – Baekhyun sounded surprised at his own words. – **I even asked them to double check his CT scan but there’s nothing, he has no internal or external injuries at all.** – he looked at his tablet, going through the information there. – **His blood is also textbook perfect, I haven’t seen results like his in a long time. He’s completely healthy.** – declared, looking back at Jongin.

\- **But he drowned and can’t remember a thing.** – Jongin argued, skeptical.

\- **There’s no sign of brain damage, his head is fine.** – the doctor shrugged, both surprised and confused. – **We’ll keep him here for observation but I’ll probably discharge him tomorrow.**

\- **He doesn’t remember a thing, where is he supposed to go if the police don’t ID him fast enough?** – it was more of a rhetorical question than anything else. As weird as that whole thing was, Jongin _knew_ Baekhyun would have to discharge Xuxi from the hospital if he was healthy, even if Xuxi had nowhere else to go.

\- **You know this is not a hotel.** – Baekhyun lamented, aware that Jongin knew it perfectly as well. A teasing smile curved his lips afterwards. – **You’re very invested in this case.** – he started, suggestive. – **Are you sure you’re not missing us and using this as an excuse?** – and raised one eyebrow.

Jongin stared, taken aback and trying to think of a way to reply without sounding absolutely ridiculous. He gave up four seconds later.

\- **He gave me puppy eyes and asked me to stay.** – admitted. It had happened right after the police officer was gone; Jongin had tried to leave for a bit to eat something but Xuxi had held his hand, looked up at him with sad puppy eyes and asked him not to leave him.

A knowing grin formed in Baekhyun’s face, pairing perfectly with the suggestive stare he kept on Jongin. The nurse nearly jumped out of his seat in indignation.

\- **I know that smile!** – he whisper-shouted at the doctor, pointing one finger at him threateningly. – **That’s not it!**

Baekhyun kept his smile, unconvinced. – **Then I guess you really miss us.** – he teased further, walking away with a satisfied grin. By Jongin’s side, Xuxi giggled.

\- **What are you laughing at?** – Jongin protested right away, turning to Xuxi with an half shocked and half indignant look.

\- **Cute** – was his giggly reply; big smile and sparkly eyes crinkling up at Jongin.

Jongin scoffed in disbelief. – **You seem fine, should I go now?!** – said then, raising both his eyebrows.

Xuxi’s expression changed in seconds, morphing into a pitiful one as he shook his head no. It made Jongin scoff again, only that time it was more like a sigh of defeat. He looked away from Xuxi, breathing in for a moment and sighing out.

\- **I’m really hungry.** – he glanced at him again, making a displeased face.

\- **Me too.** – Xuxi replied right away, mimicking his tone and expression.

\- **What if I go and get us food?** – Jongin tried then, only for Xuxi to sit up straight right away.

\- **Me go too.**

\- **You can’t** – he interrupted himself with a sigh. He stared at Xuxi for a moment, thinking. – **Well, you might be allowed to leave your bed since you’re not injured.** – mumbled to himself, getting up from his chair and reaching for the button next to Xuxi’s bed, pressing it to get one of his colleagues.

Xuxi got intrigued by it, pressing the button too and staring at it as if waiting for any reaction. He didn’t get any, obviously, for the button would only ring at where the nurses were monitoring the patients, so he pressed it again. Jongin pulled his hand away when Xuxi was about to press it a third time, getting a confused expression in response.

Right at that moment, one of the other nurses got into the infirmary, walking towards them. Her name was Sohee or something alike, Jongin didn’t usually work with her so he couldn’t really remember.

\- **Is he allowed to leave his bed?** – Jongin asked when she got close enough, to which she nodded.

\- **Yes. Actually I was coming by to leave you this** – she replied, extending towards Jongin a pile he immediately recognized; a pajama, a pair of bath towels and a personal hygiene kit. – **He is to take a shower and get dressed, Dr. Byun said you’d take care of it.** – added then, calmly staring up at Jongin as he simply stared back.

\- **I’m on leave.** – he slowly argued, pointing at himself; indignation and disbelief lightly noticeable in his tone.

\- **But you’re here.** – she caught it right away, probably thanks to Jongin’s reaction. Maybe she didn’t even know why Baekhyun had decided that, but everyone in that ward was already used to his teasing so she went along with it.

\- **I’m here as a visitor.** – Jongin tried, almost getting interrupted.

\- **Visiting hours are over.** – she argued back, pushing the pile of things against Jongin’s chest until he held it. – **He’s in your care. Doctor’s orders!** – and smiled pleasantly, stepping away to tend to one other patient calling her.

\- **Your doctor is no good either.** – he mumbled as he turned back to Xuxi. – **Come, you’ll take a shower.** – told him then.

Xuxi’s expression immediately lit up and he got out of his bed, nearly jumping with excitement towards Jongin. Since he wasn’t injured or had any mobility problems, Xuxi probably didn’t need any help taking a shower, so Jongin went on with it and guided him to the infirmary’s bathroom.

The boy seemed quite lost when walking in but that was normal behavior for anyone who had never been at the hospital or, in his case, couldn’t remember it. So Jongin continued to guide him, putting down the stuff he was carrying and pulling Xuxi towards the shower. Xuxi took off the gown he was wearing as soon as Jongin untied it at the back and Jongin snorted at the attitude, grabbing the piece to put it away in the laundry bag. He thought that would be about it but, when he turned back to Xuxi, the boy was just standing naked exactly where Jongin had left him.

\- **You need to take a shower** – he said, wary, stepping closer to Xuxi again and pulling him closer to the shower.

\- **Why?** – Xuxi asked, sounding more confused than upset about the fact.

\- **Because there’s still sand on you.** – Jongin argued, while he moved to turn the shower on.

Xuxi nearly jumped out of his skin as soon as the water started spraying out of the shower’s head, eyes growing bigger in surprise as he stared at it, and the reaction as so strong that Jongin got startled as well. Stopping to observe him, he saw Xuxi frown at the shower then, bending a little as to peek under the shower head.

\- **That’s a shower.** – Jongin carefully informed.

\- **Me take it?** – Xuxi asked, still staring curiously at the shower head.

It took Jongin a moment to understand that Xuxi was about to try and take the shower head off the wall.

\- **No, you– You get under it.** – he explained, continuing when Xuxi furrowed his eyebrows deeper. – **To wash your body.** – added, watching as Xuxi tentatively extended one hand to touch the water spray, pulling it back right away. – **It’s just water.**

\- **Hot**. – Xuxi replied, looking back at Jongin with his eyebrows still a little furrowed.

Jongin bent to adjust the water temperature on the handle. – **Is it good now?** – he turned to Xuxi again, touching the water spray to check the temperature too.

It was just warm then but Xuxi still carefully extended one of his hands to check, touching the water spray as if he was scared of it. When the water didn’t attack him, he seemed to relax a bit, stepping below the spray to wet his body. And then he apparently loved it because his entire posture changed in a matter of seconds, forgetting all tension and overflowing with excitement as Xuxi tried to squish his whole self under the water spray. It didn’t really work, obviously, since Xuxi was over 180cm tall and muscular, slightly bigger than Jongin, and the shower wasn’t as good as to have that wide of a spray. So to make up for it, Xuxi started to roll around under the spray, like a child having a shower for the very first time.

Jongin simply watched him for a moment, taken aback. The scene was a little weird but also endearing in the way Xuxi exhaled pure, genuine excitement about such a small thing. He still needed to take a shower, though, so Jongin snapped out of it.

\- **Hey** – he called to make Xuxi stop, only getting his attention back after turning the shower off.

Xuxi looked up at him right away, eyebrows joined together at the center in the same overly betrayed expression he had showed Jongin before. The effectiveness of it was ridiculous.

\- **Give me your hand.** – Jongin asked, sighing at himself. When Xuxi did extend one hand towards him, Jongin made him turn his palm up to give him the bath sponge included in the hospital’s hygiene kit.

\- **What this?** – he immediately asked, staring down at the sponge like he was scared of it coming to life or something along that line.

\- **That’s a sponge** – explained Jongin, pouring some body wash into it. – **Rub it on your skin.**

Xuxi furrowed his eyebrows, skeptical, but still complied, awkwardly rubbing the sponge against his own chest. When it started creating foam, he gasped and looked back at Jongin with wide eyes.

\- **That’s it, now rub it all over your body.** – Jongin told him, fighting back a laugh because that boy was just too weird. In a cute kind of way. – **Feels like I’m back at my internship at the pediatric.** – mumbled under his breath, watching as Xuxi entertainingly spread body wash all over his wet skin. – **Turn around, I’ll wash your hair.** – he said then, walking away for a moment to go put an apron on so he wouldn’t get his clothes wet.

His words were pretty useless, Xuxi seemed to be too intrigued by his own genitals to actually listen and Jongin had to make him turn around himself, but the boy didn’t protest or frown so Jongin continued. He got some shampoo from the kit and massaged it into Xuxi’s head, feeling the sand still attached to his scalp and trying his best to take it off while Xuxi continued to wash his body. At the end, he washed Xuxi’s back too and only then he made him turn around again, asking if he had washed everywhere and getting a nod in response.

Xuxi got startled by the shower spray again when Jongin turned it back on but it didn’t even last a full second that time around, for soon enough he was rolling around under the spray and trying to hold the foam being washed away. When all the foam was gone and Jongin turned the shower off again, the betrayed expression returned.

\- **You can take another shower later.** – he told Xuxi, who seemed to think it through for a bit.

\- **Me like shower.** – he nodded.

\- **Nice** – Jongin agreed, stepping closer to put a towel over Xuxi’s shoulders and starting to run it over his hair. The action made Xuxi close his eyes shut, apparently one of the few natural reactions he had.

\- **Jongin take shower?** – he asked still, opening his eyes again as soon as Jongin stopped cleaning his hair.

\- **I took one earlier.** – calmly replied. He decided to just run the towel through Xuxi’s body instead of asking him to, for it would probably be faster; the boy didn’t mind it at all.

What he did mind, apparently, was clothing. The reaction to the hospital gown wasn’t exclusive, as Jongin found out soon enough. And sure, hospital gowns or pajamas weren’t the prettiest pieces of clothing, but never had Jongin seen anyone look at their pajamas with such an offended expression.

\- **Why?** – Xuxi demanded, frowning when Jongin told him to step into the pajama pants he was holding.

\- **Don’t you wanna go eat?** – Jongin straightened up, giving him a serious expression.

\- **Yes.** – there was a tiny pout and it was ridiculous if Xuxi thought he could get away with it.

\- **Then you need to get dressed.** – he argued, continuing when Xuxi seemed unconvinced. – **You can’t walk around naked.**

The boy stared at him for a moment more, obviously displeased. Then, he sighed heavily and raised one foot forward. Jongin huffed in disbelief, bending again and actually putting the pants on Xuxi that time, pulling them up and adjusting them at the waist while the boy pouted at him. He grabbed the shirt after, which Xuxi also very reluctantly allowed to be put on.

\- **Just cause you have a nice body doesn’t mean you can walk around naked.** – Jongin argued, buttoning up the large shirt. The compliment was supposed to cheer Xuxi up but it had no effect at all.

\- **Me no like this.** – he just grumbled in response, pulling the fabric away from his torso.

Jongin rolled his eyes at the attitude. – **Put your slippers on, let’s go eat.**

🌊

\- **I’ve never seen anyone so enthusiastic about hospital food.** – Taeyong marveled, after bringing Xuxi his fifth bowl of soup.

Jongin was very surprised as well. He had taken Xuxi to the hospital’s snack bar where both patients and visitors were allowed and, because lunch time had already been over hours ago, the only food they could still actually get was some chicken soup. Simple and bland chicken soup, like they were practically forced to serve at the hospital. Yet Xuxi reacted to it like it was the best thing he had ever tasted, downing one bowl after another.

\- **He makes me really... intrigued.** – Jongin mumbled, basically thinking out loud.

\- **What’s he here for?** – Taeyong asked, sitting back on the chair next to Jongin. The bar was practically empty and Seulgi alone was able to take care of it, so Jongin had invited him to sit with them for a bit.

\- **He drowned, I found him at the beach near my house.** – he replied, arms crossed at his chest and gaze fixated on Xuxi as the later ate. – **And the weirdest part is that he was all naked and can’t remember what happened.**

\- **Wait, so you didn’t know him before?** – Taeyong sounded surprised, getting Jongin’s attention.

He shook his head no and stared, suspicious of Taeyong’s reaction. Unsurprisingly, the cook pressed his lips together in a thin line and hummed, looking at Xuxi and back at Jongin with that one expression he did when he knew _something_.

\- **What?** – Jongin blurted, impatient.

Taeyong sucked in a breath. – **There has been... speculation about your relationship with him.** – revealed then, throwing Jongin a suggestive glance.

\- **Already?** – the nurse’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise and indignation.

\- **Yes** – Taeyong clicked his tongue. – **You know your private life is everyone’s favorite.** – he continued while Jongin sighed and rolled his eyes. – **And you’re not working but still came here with a handsome man, people are talking.** – suggested, eyes on the nurse’s reaction. – **Some are even comparing him to Chanyeol-hyung.**

Of course. Chanyeol was one of the technicians at the hospital’s radiology department and Jongin had dated him for a couple of months during the previous year, which ended up making them the most popular employees when people found out about it. They broke up soon after, thankfully in good terms, but people still made a little drama out of it and, since then, their private lives have been at the very tip of everyone’s tongues. Taeyong knew about all of it because the snack bar was the main stage for rumor spreading inside that hospital.

\- **Why can’t they mind their own business for once?** – Jongin sighed once again, looking back at Xuxi just in time to see him finishing his soup. – **Did you eat it all?** – his voice involuntarily turned sweeter.

\- **Yes!** – Xuxi smiled happily, getting a giggle out of Taeyong.

\- **Taeyong is very happy that you like his soup.** – Jongin teased a bit.

Xuxi looked at the cook. – **Me _really_ like it.** – told him, very serious, making Taeyong smile like he had just won the lottery.

**\- I’ll cook more for you later, what about it?** – he asked. Maybe Xuxi had a really strong _baby aura_ because even Taeyong spoke to him like he was doing it to a child, all sweet and full of cuteness, which made Xuxi smile bigger and _cuter_ in return.

\- **You’re killing me** – Jongin mumbled with a sigh.

\- **Tyonggie** – a known voice sang while approaching them, making all three turn to look at the source. – **Get me a coffee, will you?** – Baekhyun asked, in that teasingly cute tone he used mostly with Taeyong. He grabbed a chair to sit next to Jongin.

\- **Seulgi is right there?** – Taeyong protested, indignant in disbelief.

Baekhyun smiled sweetly at him. – **I like your coffee better.**

Jongin snorted, fighting back a laugh at their antics. Regardless of his indignation, Taeyong stood up right away, sighing heavily and stomping towards the bar while grumbling about the coffee machine being the exact same no matter who took the coffee from it. Baekhyun watched him go with a pleased smile before turning to Xuxi.

\- **How are you doing, Xuxi?**

\- **Me good.** – Xuxi nodded right away, resting back on his chair.

\- **He ate five bowls of chicken soup, I guess he was really hungry.** – Jongin commented, getting a surprised look from the doctor who easily read between the lines.

\- **There were no signs of malnutrition, maybe he just eats a lot.** – he considered, pensive.

\- **He must hit the gym real hard then.** – mumbled Jongin, thinking back to how muscular Xuxi’s body was.

The corners of Baekhyun’s lips curved up. – **I heard he’s your type.** – he said, turning his attention to Taeyong as the later brought him his coffee.

\- **I don’t have a type** – Jongin wailed in indignation.

\- **Rumors say you do.** – Baekhyun argued, not only unbothered but also _pleased_ by the situation.

\- **You heard them too?** – Taeyong’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise as he sat by the other side of Jongin again. – **They seem really excited about this.** – marveled he while Jongin sighed.

\- **Why can’t they go back to talking about your crush on a married man?** – he grumbled, getting a protest right away.

\- **I _do not_ have a crush on him!**

\- **You totally do.** – Baekhyun argued, grin so bright it was almost blinding.

\- **Shut up.** – Taeyong spat back, giving him a displeased look that only made Baekhyun laugh over the rim of his coffee cup.

\- **I’m not married though.** – he added, looking back at the nurse.

Jongin rolled his eyes. – **You put a ring on her finger after living together for three years, it’s no difference.**

\- **Still not married, Tyonggie still has a chance.** – Baekhyun argued back, as always too pleased about that topic.

\- **I hate both of you** – Taeyong replied, in fake seriousness, while getting up. – **I’m charging double for your coffee.** – added before walking away to the bar, yet Baekhyun remained unbothered.

\- **Well, I gotta go.** – the doctor announced then, finishing his coffee and getting up from his chair. – **It’s my turn to make dinner.**

\- **Totally not married.** – Jongin immediately replied, as sarcastic as possible.

\- **Take care of _your boy_.** – Baekhyun teased back. – **See you tomorrow, Xuxi.** – added with a smile, walking away then.

Xuxi just nodded, watching him go and turning to Jongin. – **What _married_?**

🌊

There was something _very_ weird about Xuxi. Something other than the fact that he had drowned and was found unconscious in technical hypothermia but had apparently no physical consequences from it.

He clearly understood the korean language and could speak it too but his grammar was completely wrong most of the time and he had a clear lack of vocabulary. He didn’t seem to know about some basic tasks like showering, brushing his teeth or even peeing, but yet he had no sign of physical negligence that could come from it. He was also totally unfamiliar with some notions like marriage, work schedules and employment in general, for Baekhyun ending his shift and going home to his fiancée raised all kinds of questions. And to top it all, peeking at Jongin’s phone made him gasp and react like he had never seen a smartphone in his entire life.

So Jongin requested a neurological exam to be performed. One he ended up witnessing because Xuxi insisted that Jongin shouldn’t leave him alone with anyone else because, last time he did that, they put him in a _big and weird scary thing_ that judging by Xuxi’s gestures Jongin assumed was the CT scan machine.

It got _weirder_. Apparently, there was nothing wrong with Xuxi’s nervous system. Even his memory loss had no medical explanation and was almost certainly temporary. As far as physical health went, seemed there was not a single thing wrong with Xuxi.

\- **Could it be mental?** – he wondered, after Baekhyun came to check up on Xuxi in the following morning.

\- **How?** – Baekhyun was skeptical, arms crossed at his chest while observing Xuxi. – **I mean I can request that he’s seen by a psychiatrist but all mental conditions have physical consequences and he has none, not even a small chemical imbalance in his brain. I triple checked.** – he argued, gesturing a bit. – **I’m telling you, I’ve never even seen anyone as healthy as him. He’s good.**

\- **Yes.** – Xuxi nodded, immediately making Baekhyun’s serious posture break with a smile.

\- **And a cutie.** – he added, before turning to Jongin with a serious expression again. – **I’m gonna have to discharge him soon, we can’t have a healthy person using resources that someone sick might need.**

\- **I know.** – Jongin sighed.

\- **Jongin sad?** – Xuxi asked, sad puppy eyes stuck to the nurse.

He looked back at him. – **I’m worried.** – was his answer, which didn’t really do much to change Xuxi’s sad puppy look. – **Do you remember anything else?** – he asked then, watching Xuxi think for a moment before–

\- **Me hungry.**

Baekhyun huffed a laugh. – **When it comes to food then he’s taking three patients’ resources.** – teased, while Jongin simply stared back at Xuxi in disbelief.

\- **You just ate?!** – he nearly screeched, watching Xuxi’s bottom lip stick out in a small pout to go with his pitiful expression. – **We can’t go eat now, the police officer is coming to speak to us**. – argued then.

\- **Why?** – Xuxi asked, apparently confused.

\- **They’re trying to find out who you are so we can send you back home.** – Jongin explained, getting no actual reaction.

\- **Me Xuxi.** – he simply replied.

No reaction was actually a good sign. Even if he didn’t remember where it was, Xuxi wasn’t scared of going back home, which meant whatever happened to him probably didn’t happen in there. They could just send him back and that was it.

Except they couldn’t.

When the police officer came by, only a couple minutes after Baekhyun left to continue his work, he worriedly gifted Jongin with the news: they were unable to ID Xuxi.

\- **His fingerprints were not in the system, he doesn’t match any missing person’s report and we couldn’t even find anyone named Xuxi to begin with.** – he explained, visibly not pleased by the facts. – **He’s most likely a foreigner and that’s why we can’t find anything on him. We sent his information overseas, hopefully someone claims him.**

\- **But if he’s a foreigner shouldn’t you be able to find out how he got into the country?** – Jongin asked, confused.

\- **If he did it legally, yes.** – the officer replied. – **But thousands of people get in and out of the country every day, through all kinds of company, and we have no authority to check everyone if there’s not evidence of a crime. Also, having no documents we can’t even be sure if Xuxi is his actual name.**

\- **So what now?**

\- **We are awaiting feedback from overseas but apart from that there’s nothing we can do.** – he declared.

Jongin thought it over for a moment, taking a deep breath. – **What happens if no one claims him?**

\- **Well** – the officer seemed taken aback by the question. – **That never happened, everyone comes from somewhere. But I guess we can’t deport him if there’s nowhere to.** – he answered. – **Anyway, he’s in our system now, we’ll just need to know where to find him after he leaves the hospital. If he can’t provide that, we might need to take him into custody.**

\- **He’ll stay with me.** – the words came out of Jongin’s mouth before he could actually think about them.

Thinking for a moment, he knew he was getting too involved in the issue. But he was too curious about it so he couldn’t just leave Xuxi to the police. Not when he could help him. Not when Xuxi trusted him so much.

Jongin had a vacant room in his apartment and was taking some days off work. Since Xuxi had nowhere else to go, he could just stay with Jongin for some time. It would only be temporary anyway.


End file.
